Sunday, May 6, 2012

After many months of knitting, the Cap Shawl is finally finished. Though the photo is terrible, and the shawl is still unnblocked, one gets the notion of just how big this thing is - that's half of the circular shawl draped over our three seater sofa. It's a big one. Those who know this pattern will see that there's an unusual ridge between the body of the shawl and the edging - that's because instead of knitting 2 together into the back of the stitch, I knit 2 together into the front of the stitch. Ah well, at least I was consistent all the way around. Perhaps it won't be so noticeable once blocked...

Also off the needles (quite a few weeks back), are two projects I couldn't reveal until now. Our next door neighbours were expecting their second grandchild, and what a perfect opportunity to knit something adorable.

For their three year old grand-daughter (now a big sister), I made Fly Away Home, a vintage pattern from a Patons book from way back in the 1980s.

Long, long ago, when the pattern was first published, my Mum made one of these for Elly. My embroidery isn't quite as good as Mum's, but it's still an awfully sweet pattern. Knit up in Vintage Berrocco DK in a soft cream colour, the yoke is worked fairisle with red ladybugs and green grass with black embroidered dots and antennae. I even found buttons in the button stash that matched the green exactly! I'm crossing my fingers that the three-year-old size I made will fit the three year old it is intended for...we shall see

And for the new baby, another vintage pattern, this one from a 1980s Pinguoin knitting book. Elly also had one of these as an infant, also made by my Mum. I knit this one up in the always reliable Baby Ull. the pattern gives the option for the buttonhole bands to be on the right or the left (buttonholes are on the right for a girl, left for a boy). I couldn't remember if I'd been told what gender the baby was to be, but after consulting Nigel, who has a reliable "spidey sense", we decided it was going to be a boy, which it was. He was born on April 23rd, very exciting, yes?

Sadly, they didn't name him "Scottie".

Another project finished ages ago, but not blogged until now; two button bracelets. One for Jane and one for Thea.

Weeks ago, someone, somewhere on facebook started a "Pay it Forward 2012", wherein you make something for the first five people that comment on your facebook update, well, I only had three responses - Jane, Thea and Elly. I've yet to make anything for Elly, but the year is young.

This is the button bracelet I made for Thea, she likes purple and green,

and this is the button bracelet I made for Jane, she likes tropical colours.

Aren't they adorable? They make a delightful clack-clack-clunk sound when they move - the bracelets, that is, not Jane and Thea.